CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Thanks so much to PotBelliedCow for writing this up for us! Much appreciated - I know many people have been curious about the series for a while. Sorry it took so long to get posted!:sweat:

http://www.christiananime.net/reviews.php?display=98

Also, thank you ClosetOtaku and Kentetsu for writing HR reviews as well, but PotBelliedCow's was submitted first. Thanks!

Very detailed and informative review, and that is from a big fan of the series. I do think that there is a bit of religious content included, a sort of mish mash of beliefs from all over the place, but then again, that is pretty well all up to interpretation, I guess, as it is a confusing and symbolic series. Great job, PotBelliedCow!!

oh, so it is clean! oh good, i may have to look into this one

I, too, want to echo praise for PotBelliedCow's review. Very positive and accurate description of the series.

I highly recommend Haibane Renmei as a thought-provoking and spiritually deep anime. It is probably one of the "cleanest" animes out there (allowing for a little artistic freedom).

A quick note on the doujinshi: there are four doujinshi, all of which are still available in Japan at anime/manga stores like Mandarake. They are nicely illustrated, but a bit pricey, so probably best for die-hard fans only. There is also an artbook (more accessible, there were many for sale at Otakon), and ABe is producing another artbook in the near future.

Yay!!! Finally a review for one of the best animes I've seen in a long time! Still need to finish seeing the rest of it. But it's good to see a review of Haibane Renmei here at CAA finally!

Just how slow is this anime? I picked it up and came SO close to buying the first two volumes. But I mean, I don't want to if it's super boring. (And how many volumes are there?)

You won't regret it if you watch the whole thing. I didn't think it was painstakingly slow, but I watched all the episodes pretty much at the same time. If you want a reason to get it, the last few episodes are good enough to make up for any slowness in the series.

I cried... I cried so hard at the end TT_TT

Mangafanatic wrote:Just how slow is this anime? I picked it up and came SO close to buying the first two volumes. But I mean, I don't want to if it's super boring. (And how many volumes are there?)

It is not super-boring. Watch carefully during the first five episodes. There are a lot of clues as to what is happening, buried in what appear to be almost routine conversations.

Anyways, there are four DVDs, a total of 13 episodes. Don't "marathon" it. I'd suggest: Watch Eps 1-3, then 4-6, then 7-10, and then to the end. Those seem to be pretty natural breaks.

And, do yourself a favor: DON'T read the DVD back covers, they have spoilers. Just watch and enjoy.

My two cents.

Nice! I was looking at this series forever, but I was afraid it was too slow! This gives me a little more interest in it, thanks ^^

Very good review on Haibane Renmei.

However, I do have one nitpick... why did you say that there were sexual overtones at the end of the series? I understand that you are trying to tell prospective viewers about the shoujo-ai fans, but I distinctly don't recall anything that really resembled anything beyond friendship.

I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I was just wondering if you thought that the series actually implied romance between close friends (like Rakka and Reki) or if it was just the fans that liked to put them in romantic situations.

Other than that, good review... Haibane Renmei is definitely a great show, and for one that has an all-female cast, it thankfully avoids shower scenes, fanservice, and revealing clothing. Yoshitoshi Abe is a great artist & manga creator ^__^